I am a plastic surgeon in Little Rock, AR. I used to "suture for a living", I continue "to live to sew". These days most of my sewing is piecing quilts. I love the patterns and interplay of the fabric color. I would like to explore writing about medical/surgical topics as well as sewing/quilting topics. I will do my best to make sure both are represented accurately as I share with both colleagues and the general public.

Followers

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

My younger brother had told me his surgery was scheduled for 8:45 am. Since I have priviledges at the hospital I knew he had to be there two hours prior to surgery. So I showed up at 7:45 am. My intention was to get there after he had done his admission paper work, but before he went into surgery. He had ask me to be there, so I wanted to be sure to be there before he received any drugs.

There was no sign of he or his wife in the waiting area. They had not checked in, so I began the day waiting for them.

Turns out his surgery was scheduled for 10:45 am. He had been told to arrive at the hospital at 8:45 am. "We never tell the patient a surgery time. We don't want to confuse them. They might just arrive at the hospital when the surgery is scheduled. That would delay everything."

While I sat waiting, I listened in on conversations around me. [It's hard not too hear the conversations.]

7:50 am "Can you believe they don't have orders for me?" an elderly woman (EW), who was also waiting, said to her husband. "It's no fun being off your blood thinners and heart medicines when you need them?"

7:55 am "The nurse in the OR called. She said B_ is still in surgery, but everything is well. So we came in at the right time." A middle age woman (MAW) to her father and son. The cigarette aroma suggested they had been outside for a cigarette break.

8 am Morning prayer over the intercom. We're in a Catholic Hospital. I see my brother and sister-in-law come in.

8:15 am Dr. B_ (my brother's doctor) came out to give a report to C_'s family.

8:45 am My brother and sister-in-law go back to preop.

9:25 am "Finally, finally." a woman who is being escorted back to the preop area.

"How long have you been here?" asked a fellow waiter.

"Since 5 o'clock." She answers.

9:35 am My sister-in-law hands me her bag, "I have to go get medicines. They need milligrams and we don't know milligrams."

"I'm getting so mad at them. They lost my orders. There's no sense in that." says EW. [I've heard this repeated multiple times by her and her husband this morning. I have heard how the doctors office has faxed over the orders three times this morning, but the hospital staff keep repeating that they haven't received any of the faxes. They can't find the doctor's orders.]

9:45 am "B__ H__" hospital employee.

"Yes" EW

"Follow me" and escorts her back to preop. I'm glad to know they finally got her orders.

10 am "This is Cindy. Belle's daughter." said the MAW who had earlier come in from the cigarette break.

"Who was that?" dad asked daughter.

"Mom's preacher." talking loudly to her dad.

"The doctor said that things went well and if things continue to go well, she'll probably go home in 48 hours." Cindy says to the person on the other end of the line. She then repeats the conversation to several others on her list.

10:35 am "Ramona, J__ wants you to come back." So I follow the nurse back and listen to her. She tell him and my sister-in-law what to expect as the day progresses. She talks to them about what to expect when he gets to recovery and then the postoperative area (he's outpatient). She covers some postoperative care/expectations. I am impressed with her.

10:45 am The orderly comes to get my brother. We all follow him to the OR suite and wait there. Dr. B__ comes in and marks my brother's right hand (the surgery side). I tease the orderly about asking for a bonus based on number of miles/day walked. He likes the idea, but doesn't think the hospital would go for it.

10:50 am "I need to go to the bathroom" my brother.

"Let me ask the nurse if it's okay if we help you." me

She nods okay (she's on the phone), so I lower the bed. The orderly happens to walk back through the area and takes over for me, locks the bed and carries the IV bag as he walks my brother to the bathroom. He waits for my brother and walks him back.

11:00 am "I'm L__. I'll be the circulation nurse in the OR today." She goes through her questions (allergies, what are we doing today, etc) and then tells us it will be about an hour. Maybe less, as Dr B__ is usually quick. I give her my cell number, so I can take my sister-in-law to get something to eat. She had skipped breakfast since my brother couldn't have any.

11:45 am We're back in the outpatient waiting area and my cell phone rings. "We're done. Dr B__ will be out in just a few minutes." She was right about that.

"Everything went fine. I think it is benign, but the path will take about 4 days to come back. If it's not, then we'll do scans. He may need some radiation treatments in that case." Dr. B__'s report on my brother.

So now like Carol, we make our phone calls to family members. We divide the list. Then we wait, talking about the new grandbaby (their 25 yo daughter just had a baby girl), commenting now and then on the news reports (missing girl, etc), .........

12:45 pm "Ramona. He's asking for you." says a nurse.

"This is J__, his wife. I'm his sister."

"I must have misunderstood. You can both come back."

He looks good. There is color in his cheeks. His eyes are wide open and alert. "Can I have something to drink?"

Disclaimer

My purpose in writing my blog is to attempt to provide good solid medical information on topics of my choosing. It is a way to educate myself, my colleagues, and the general public. References will be provided on medical posts, but not on opinion essays or poetry posts. An additional purpose is to share my interest in quilting topics, a way to show my human side.

Any medical information provided by this site is not a replacement for medical diagnosis, treatment, or professional medical advice. It should not be used to treat or diagnose any medical condition. Always seek professional medical consultation by a licensed physician for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions - please, do not ignore your doctor's medical advice based on information written by the author or commenters of this site. Please do not ask me for medical advice, but instead contact a healthcare provider in your area. Anything written about office/hospital situations/events are fictional examples to get a point across. No patient is/will ever be a specific patient (unless given written permission), but a fictional one. To know more about how I handle medical information about patients please link here. Unless, I am praising a colleague, even those will be fictional. Any similarities to you or people you know is purely coincidental. My husband and I, and our dogs are fair game.

In early 2009 I joined the Better Health Network. As part of that Network, I will occasionally be paid for my writing. Those posts will be clearly noted. I will strive to maintain my high ethical standards. If I add any advertising, it will be clearly marked as such.

Comments are moderated by me (Dr. Ramona Bates). The opinions expressed by the commenter is their own. The blog posts and my comments are my own. Please, remember this is a public blog and as such all comments are also public and visible to everyone. If you leave and comment and later wish to delete it, blogger allows you to do so.

Comments are welcome. If it is one not based on your personal experience, please, note a reference to any medical knowledge you are presenting.

Privacy Principles

I do not intend to use this blog to collect or dispense private health information on patients. If any patient is used as an explicit example for a posting, I will get that patient's consent in writing to use their story and/or photo. The office is permitted by federal privacy laws to make uses and disclosures of your health information for purposes of treatment, payment, and health care operations. However, that is not the intent of this blog. I intend to share information on medical/quilting topics with the general public and my colleagues. This web site does not share or sell any personal information, including your name, address, or email addresses with third parties. Have a blessed day!